Abstract

Practical and effective interventions are needed to increase activity in sedentary older populations. A brief behavioural change intervention consisting of goal setting, planning, self monitoring delivered with or without a pedometer was compared with no treatment in a prospective study of 204 sedentary community dwelling women aged ¡Ý70 years (average age 77 years). The primary outcome was daily activity counts assessed by accelerometer over 7 days prior to treatment, at 3 months and at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included lower limb function, health related quality of life, anxiety, depression and falls. The psychological mediators of behaviour change assessed included intention, perceived behaviour control, action and coping planning. 179 women completed the trial with most dropouts from the behaviour change alone condition (15/68). Over the first 3 months activity increased reliably more in the intervention groups than the control (which did not change). Pedometers did not add to the effects of the behaviour change techniques. The increase in activity was not maintained at the 6 month assessment. The psychological and behavioural processes mediating the change in activity, and the failure to sustain it, will be discussed.